This invention is directed to the field of laying and leveling tile. More particularly, the invention is directed to an assembly for aligning and leveling adjacent tiles as they are laid in floors, walls, countertops, or the like.
Tile has become a popular decorative and functional article for use in floors, walls, countertops, and the like. Both professional tile installers and do-it-yourselfers spend a great deal of time aligning and leveling tiles as the tiles are being placed on a substrate's surface. Proper alignment and leveling of each tile is important for a number of reasons. One reason is that if one tile is improperly placed, the error will continue in adjacent tiles such that the installation will be unacceptable and the tiles will have to be replaced and/or ground and polished until the tiles are level or flat. In addition to aesthetic reasons for properly laying tile, a level surface is essential in tile floors so that people do not trip on unevenly laid tiles. Replacing or otherwise correcting errors in tile installation takes time that adds to the total cost of the installation.
Laying and leveling tile can be difficult because many substrates are uneven, such as the ground substrate when laying tile for an outdoor patio. In this case, it can be difficult to raise the low areas of the substrate with mortar or other objects so that all the tiles are level. Further, tiles can shift and sink into mortar as the mortar dries. It has traditionally been necessary to continually monitor newly laid tiles as the mortar dries to ensure that the tiles remain level. Tile installers have used a variety of devices and methods to maintain quality tile installation while completing the installation process as fast as possible. One basic method uses markings on the substrate surface. Marking the installation surface requires the mortar to be carefully applied such that the marks remain visible. Although this technique aids in the alignment of the tiles, it does not keep the tiles level as they are laid in the mortar. Further, the use of this marking technique increases the amount of time required for the installation which results in increased cost.
Another device used for laying and leveling tile is a frame designed to space tiles at an appropriate distance. This type of frame is typically a fixed grid which is designed for a specific tile size. The disadvantage of this type of device is that it is a fixed size which requires a professional installer to carry multiple frames in order to be capable of installing various tile sizes. A further disadvantage of this type of frame is that it is only capable of installing one type of tile at a time.
Another device used to lay and align adjacent tiles leveling device such as the one shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,420 (Torrents I Comas) wherein a cap slides downward along a shaft to secure the tile between the cap and a bottom plate. One drawback with this device is that a tightening tool is necessary to tighten the cap against the tile. The use of a tightening tool can increase the time it takes to complete the installation because the shaft of each leveling device must be threaded through an opening in the tightening tool in order for the tightening tool to tighten the cap against the tile.
Therefore, there is a need for an efficient and inexpensive tile leveling and alignment device which overcomes the drawbacks in the prior art and does not require threading a tightening tool onto an elongated shaft.